Roads Not Quite Traveled
by MorayInTheWreck
Summary: A collection of short stories in the world of Fire Emblem Fates. Playing tonight: Three warriors were chosen by a god to challenge the dragon that would end the world. Three heroes, handpicked to fight against evil no other would dare imagine. THREE. So who's the tagalong?
1. Job Done, That's All

Job Done, That's All

* * *

Beruka flew through the sky on the back of a nameless wyvern, and tried to focus.

It was harder and harder lately. All those… emotions. Once she'd kept her wyvern nameless because it _was_ nameless, and there was no need to complicate anything more than it had to be complicated. Even when Camilla suggested something, even when Camilla's husband suggested something (the lunatic. Lunatic! She'd never made judgements like that before) she could just ignore it as unimportant.

Now she needed to keep her wyvern nameless as a point of pride. Pride. Complicated. Like everything else these days, if she let it be. She should focus.

She was married now. Married was expensive. Silas was wounded in battle with Garon. Wounded was expensive.

Work dealt with expensive.

Camilla was gone, which meant old work was gone. Beruka needed new work. The only work she knew was assassination. Assassinations would deal with expensive. Simple.

Emotions, of course, tried to make things complicated. Beruka frowned a little more than usual. She was glad for them, but… complicated. If she was still empty, she could just look around Nohr and hunt targets. If she was still empty, Silas's opinions wouldn't matter.

If.

Beruka shook her head. If didn't matter. If was just part of the complicated. She wanted to help her husband. She didn't want him to hate her for what she'd done. Therefore, she'd work where he wouldn't find out.

Hoshido was nice this time of year, after all.

She'd done her prep work. Preparation was key for a freelancer, and all the years with Camilla and all the new… complications wouldn't erase years of practice. Hoshido claimed to be a kinder land than Nohr. Perhaps it was true. Beruka had no particular fondness for her home. But Hoshido had its share of desperate citizens, and that meant a market. She'd heard enough in the war to know their assassins were reserved for the upper class, private retainers to ensure things remained smooth and efficient. They had their feuds and their honor, their price. Nothing the common citizen knew. Nothing to do with daily life.

In other words, there was a market that was not being served. And she could provide.

She had provided already. A few establishing contracts, enough to draw attention, even if the pay was lower than she'd like. Legbreaking, mostly. A few shakedowns. Not her real work, not what she was best at, but it gave her enough of a name that she could have some work worthy of the name.

And now she was meeting the real client. The one who could actually pay enough to matter. Beruka tapped her wyvern's wings and it slid into a descent, landing on the dark roof without a sound. Beruka slid off.

By her guess, there were fifteen guards on the roof. Eleven armed with weapons that had a chance of damaging her armor, five with actual training, and three that might actually put up a fight if it came to bloodshed. If she hadn't painted half of Hoshido's most fortified cities red, she might have felt…

Whatever that feeling was other people had before a battle they weren't sure they could win. Beruka had never understood it, still didn't understand it, but it felt like being surrounded by armed enemies was one of the times you were supposed to have it. If you ever did.

Honestly, of all the emotions, 'fear' seemed the least interesting. She could do without it.

Beruka took a step forward.

"Who is my employer?"

A man with a scar stepped forward, trembling. Hmm. Wasn't fear meant to be for the one surrounded, not the one leading? Emotions were less and less straightforward by the minute.

"You're her, aren't you?"

"Who?"

"The demon. The Nohrian soldier who nearly killed Princess Hinoka, left her for the wolves. The one who took three forts in as many days. The first over the barrier, because even the Queen's magic couldn't touch her dead soul."

"Yes. Who is my employer?"

The man trembled a little more.

"He's… he's not here. Said that he didn't… err… not meaning any offense, ma'am, but he said he didn't want to have to meet face to face with any of the Nohrian bastards who cost him his family. Not meaning any offense!"

"I take none. What is my assignment?"

The man stopped trembling, and looked up to meet Beruka's eyes.

"You… you don't, do you? Not even going to mention your honor?"

"I have none. _What is my assignment_?"

Beruka paused. What was this feeling? Impatience? Yes, that was the word. Impatience. It was exciting. She would have to use impatience more in the future.

The man stumbled back.

"Right! Right! I just… the boss thought you might not like the job, and I didn't want you to go and shoot the messenger! See, um, well, I…"

Fear. More fear. Beruka was sure she would never have need of it. All she'd seen was supposedly trained combatants left useless, commanders paralyzed, and her targets left without a shred of dignity in their last moments. Pointless.

"Speak. Quickly."

"Look! Some nobles were quick to turn over to Nohr, and boss wanted to send a message! I just thought that you, you know, honor among thieves, wouldn't want to stab the same people who handed you what you wanted earlier! You might want to settle with the guys making the contract!"

"Why?"

"Err… you know. Loyalty?"

"I am loyal to my employer. They are not my employer. I do not care beyond that."

"...damn. You mean that?"

"Why would I not?"

"O… okay. Glad you feel that way. Boss said to give you half up front, half on completion. Send a message. The kind Queen Hinoka doesn't have the guts for. You can do that, right? No problems?"

"If I have problems, the task will still be completed, or I will be dead. Either way, you will have no further difficulties with my performance."

"...Good to know. So, yeah. Got a paper with the details. Haven't looked myself so if the magistrates come calling I can claim _some_ deniable, but it should have all you need."

The man reached into his coat and pulled out a small scroll. Beruka took it from him and looked.

Whoever wrote it clearly wasn't a native speaker. Beruka only learned to read at all to manage contracts, and she was still a world ahead of the man's boss. Poor grammar. Unclear wording. Fortunately, she was a professional. That meant she only really needed the target.

She turned away from the cowering man who hired her, and climbed back onto her Wyvern. The man looked like he expected more questions. Wasted words.

Perhaps Selena would have worked like that. For such an effective retainer, she had a number of unproductive habits. But Beruka was already gone, already on the path to the target, and ready to perform whatever task she was being paid for.

The building she arrived at was… subtle, for nobility, even by Hoshidan standards. No elaborate towers, no crackling lightning in the sky to warn away any who would dare challenge the might of its masters.

It was just… a building. Nicer than most in Nohr, even now, not like the slums of Beruka's youth, but nothing worth mentioning.

She tried to assess the security before she arrived. There were archers, of course, primed against any air assault less subtle than hers. Automatons patrolled the halls, presumably tools of the on-staff mechanist. Beruka gritted her teeth. Ninjas were always additional difficulty in these matters, and it seemed her target was close enough to the royal family to have a few on retainer.

Complications, complications, complications. Things like this left Beruka… impatient.

She smiled. She was sure she could come up with something good with impatient sooner or later. She could just wait for the opportunity to present itself.

Until then, she could focus on her infiltration. She made it to the roof, which meant she had the advantage. With the sentry towers, any guards would assume that they could detect and repel any air assaults. They wouldn't know Beruka was there for some time, if she was lucky. Enough time to neutralize a few guards, form a more detailed assessment of the interior, and reset a few traps to ensure they'd work more in her favor than they would for their intended purpose.

Or someone could detect her early. Ninjas were… persistent in Beruka's experience. Couldn't be bribed, wouldn't abandon a charge out of fear. Wouldn't stop as long as they were alive.

Wouldn't be alive terribly long, but they'd be a problem until then. Beruka slipped through a window, leaving her wyvern to guard the exfil. It wasn't the kind of building that would easily accommodate a ten foot tall death lizard, which meant Beruka would have to do all her work solo.

She held her axe tight. She'd met people who argued that you wanted a different weapon in close quarters. A knife, a shortsword, shuriken. Something less obtrusive. She'd met assassins using all of those methods, with a high level of efficiency.

Most of them were dead now. And Beruka still had her axe. She was not inclined to abandon a winning strategy.

There were complications, of course. There were always complications. The automatons were built to respond when one of their number went missing from a patrol. Beruka hadn't seen it before, and if she'd been slower, they might have managed to call for reinforcements.

(Yes, she would have reduced them to scrap metal just as quickly, but it would have made her… impatient.)

One of the ninjas guarding the east wing spotted movement, and came closer than Beruka liked before she could... deal with him. If he'd be more experienced in dealing with enemies who could actually fight back, she might have had a problem. If he'd been more experienced with enemies who could fight back, he might still be alive.

Fortunately for Beruka, neither of those things was true.

The closest she came to a disaster was the help. If Beruka was just a little further in developing a sense of humor, she might have found it funny. A simple cook, and they almost sounded an alarm where trained assassins failed.

They also lived where trained assassins failed. It was simple enough to stuff a rag in the woman's mouth and lock her in a supply cupboard. No serious harm. Just a need for a new employer soon enough, and a story to pass the time in the future.

Beruka wasn't sure if that was practical or simply sentimental, but either way. Not an impediment to the mission, and therefore not something worthy of her attention.

And she was the last thing that could have been an impediment. The central chambers were waiting. Waiting for someone to simply find the target, and… send a message.

Beruka shook her head. She prefered when she was simply told to kill. Killing was much simpler. You knew if you killed or if you didn't. Sending a message meant second guessing your methods, leaving the body where it could be found, elaborate and slow kills. In other words, sending a message meant being unprofessional, and Beruka hated being unprofessional.

The door slid open with a click, and Beruka adjusted the axe in her hands.

Only one figure in the bed. Odd. Beruka had assumed she'd find a family huddled behind the last barriers. There wasn't enough of a cluster anywhere else to consider it a proper defense, and the money invested in a place like this… wasting it would be senseless. Beruka wasn't _friends_ with Corrin's sister, but she'd seen enough to know the woman was no fool, and cared about her people. Letting someone use these defenses for their own safety while leaving their family to die…

Off.

Beruka was on the floor less than a second later. Beruka was still alive a second later. The two facts were directly linked.

Flames swept the room, followed by shrapnel. Beruka staggered to her feet. A ninja was standing in front of her.

"Ha! It seems the spirits do reward the faithful. Here I was, cursing fate that my duty called me to defend traitors I would be better served to kill, only to find greater prey! The silent assassin, the bane of Hoshido. Beruka. Your legend ends here!"

"My legend?"

"And your life! Tonight, we find the true master of the lethal arts. The Wyvern rider from grim Nohr, or Grey Cobra, the master of Hoshidan ninjitsu!"

"Huh."

Beruka tapped on her armor. Nothing broken. A little pain. Nothing serious.

"Huh? Was that all you said when you killed my brother? When you brought low my family, so that honor demanded repayment that our cowardly queen would deny?"

The man was talking more than _Odin._ Beruka shook her head. Impatience demanded tribute if she was going to keep its pleasant company. She pulled a small axe from her belt and chucked it at the man's head. She'd killed ninjas before. He would be no better.

"And further! I…"

The man paused and snatched the axe out of the air.

Beruka had never felt fear before. She didn't feel it now. But for the first time, she could see the contours.

The man looked at the axe.

"An honorless dog to the end, then. An honorless dog for an honorless death, like all the mongrels of Nohr!"

He had a shuriken aimed at her head before the sentence was over.

Beruka's wrists were fast enough, barely. Her gauntlets caught the blades before they could add new scars to her face, and her hands were back to her sheath just fast enough to draw an axe before a sword could skewer her.

Just. Beruka had killed ninjas before. But she hadn't killed _this_ ninja yet. For the first time, the distinction seemed very important.

He seemed to be everywhere at once, a sword from her left passing by her axe to nick her shoulder, an arrow on her right that left a trail of blood past her ear.

No real strikes, nothing critical, but he was wearing on her, and Beruka only had so much endurance. Sooner or later, the ninja would manage a clean hit, and Beruka would either be dead or as good as, too worn out to try anything else. Unless she did something her opponent didn't expect.

The sword came in again. Beruka locked her teeth and rammed her shoulder. The sword sunk in. The ninja looked surprised.

Then Beruka jabbed the shuriken in her gauntlet into his neck, and guaranteed he wouldn't still look surprised in whatever afterlife would take him.

It wasn't clean work. Then again, assassinations almost never were. It was the point. Even when the target was nowhere to be found, that was the point. And now Beruka would need a clean corner to patch her wounds, and…

And someone was sobbing.

Beruka pulled a cloth tight over her wound. Her left arm would be useless for a few days, until she could get to a healer, but she still had work to do, and a task to complete. People like Odin bragged about taking on armies with one hand. Said that it was a fair handicap.

Beruka didn't brag. Bragging was pointless. But she did clean a full Hoshidan outpost with her left hand in a sling, and seven of Nohr's finest assassins died when her right hand was pinned. One arm would suffice for whatever was left of the mission.

Beruka followed the sound to a wall. Hidden panels. Acceptable paranoia, considering. She would have found it sooner or later, but the child's sobbing… helped.

The wall fell.

Three people stared at her. A mother, a father, and a girl. A girl about Beruka's age when she first killed a man. First became an assassin. She felt…

She couldn't say what she felt. Emotions were still new territory, still difficult to work with, still _complicated_. But it kept her hand back.

The man in front seemed to double over in relief.

"You're her, aren't you? Princess Camilla's retainer? You must be here to stop the assassin. Thank you. My family…"

Beruka shook her head.

"I _am_ the assassin."

The man broke.

"Oh."

Beruka adjusted the axe in her hand. It would be professional to end things now. It would even be, what was the word, _kindest_ to end things now. Kill the father first, then the mother, then the daughter. Leave each parent with the hope that what they cared about would survive, then kill the daughter before she could process what she went through. Selena suggested it once, wincing all the while. If this kind of thing came up. If it was necessary. _Absolutely_ necessary.

The man was slumped. Bowed.

"I accept my fate. I betrayed my people, even if I aimed to protect them. If my death protects my family… I hope they will forgive me. And convey my apologies to the Queen. She worked more to preserve my life than a worm of a servant could ever deserve."

Quick. Clean. Done. Beruka felt the axe. It refused to move. Tired arm. Had to be tired arm.

"Your family. You love them?"

"More than my life."

"They would be… sad if you were gone."

And together when they were dead. Simple! Beruka could make everything so simple!

"...You have your duty. I have mine."

"..."

Beruka paused. What _was_ her duty? She never thought of the term when she was working for herself. There was no duty. There was a contract. She would complete it, and then she could eat, or she would fail and go hungry. No moral dimension. No questions beyond competency.

But then she had Lady Camilla. Then she had a duty. Not conscience, exactly, nothing so complicated, but she had rules to abide by, and someone she could disappoint. Or rather, someone she could never disappoint. They came to the same thing in the end.

It was a better life. Now it was gone. And it left Beruka with… what did it leave her with? She had a husband. Who she was disappointing every time she continued her trade, if he only knew. No matter which course she followed, she was betraying him too much to believe in any duty followed there. A country, which she left behind to pursue a little coin. Not much better. And a memory of Camilla, her absent employer. Of the woman who was the only reason she had anything but cold death.

She'd heard of duties to the dead before. She almost believed in them sometimes. Duties to the merely absent were easier still to manage.

The last real duty she could believe in, then, was a duty to Camilla. To do what she would have considered… right.

Camilla would never kill a man who aided her for a little coin. A few ninja, perhaps. A path of blood through the fortress, she never was one to shirk. But killing a man and his family who were no threat?

Beruka sighed. It seemed so simple when she started. But complicated was slipping in everywhere, no matter what she did. Good complicated, bad complicated, indifferent. And it meant that she couldn't even do what she came here for.

Unless she made her work as complicated as the circumstances.

"Good. You received the message."

"...What?"

Beruka turned to walk away.

"Know where your loyalties are. Don't make the wrong enemies. If you do, I'll be back."

"Thank you?"

Beruka was already halfway to the stairs. Well. Now she had another thing to worry about.

Conscience.

It came with emotions, apparently.

She smiled.

Well. She'd been learning to enjoy dealing with complicated already. A little more wouldn't ruin her life.

* * *

 **(Author's notes: And that's that. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.**

 **For anyone coming here from Grimaspawn, yeah. I did something for Fates. But this might be it. Didn't exactly grab me like Awakening did on a narrative level. Don't get me wrong, Conquest's gameplay is really good, but the writing, especially for Corrin... did I mention the gameplay's good?**

 **Still, an emotionless assassin dealing with complications to her line of work seemed like it might be fun. So here we are. Might be more some day. Might not. Either way, it's something.**

 **No idea when or what next time is, but until then, take care.)**


	2. Birthrights, legacies, and other hazards

Severa was happy.

Gods only knew how that happened, but here she was. Surrounded by family, _and_ happy. This sort of thing shouldn't happen, she had no idea how it happened, but for once, she wasn't going to question it.

Robin smiled.

"You know, I hate to admit it, but you've done it. You're smarter than I ever gave you credit for."

"Smarter than you?"

"Of course! I can't think of an improvement on your plans. I'm sure your mother would agree"

" **SELENA**!"

Cordelia nodded.

"You've surpassed me in every way I can think of. I think we should be reserving the word 'perfect' for you from now on. You've earned it."

" **SELENA!** "

And, of course, Morgan's head was bobbing like it was on a spring. Typical. If Severa wasn't so happy (and so distracted by that shouting, who _was_ that?) she might have a sarcastic comment, but she was, so she didn't. Morgan could have her fun.

"Yep! And you must be proud that your daughter is going to be even better than you are!"

Wait. What?

"Wait. WHAT?"

"Nice try, but even someone as brilliant as the great Severa can't make me forget a new favorite niece! Especially not one who's going to replace you and be better than you in every way!"

"WHAT?"

" **SELENA!** "

Robin shrugged.

"I'm sorry that I have to be the one to tell you, but Morgan's right. The most you can hope for is a brief, shining moment of happiness before everyone remembers what a screwup you are."

Cordelia's head tilted and creaked.

"You did let me get killed, after all. You never fixed that."

"I… you were the one who wanted to go after Chrom! I tried to stop you."

"I know. You tried. And you tried. But then you ran away. Every time, you ran away in the end."

Something reached out of the ground for Morgan's leg, and her face flashed. Six eyes faded in and out as she was dragged off into the bowels of the Earth.

"She's running away right now, too! It's so she doesn't have to think about all she did. I bet that's why she found that baby, too. So someone won't judge her for all her failure."

" **SELENA!** "

Robin split open, and Grima emerged, teeth gleaming in the dark.

"Until she finds out what her mother did. Like all the rest. How she failed everyone. If her parents can't love her, how could she expect her daughter to be any different?"

Severa looked around. Oh. Perfect. There were Risen everywhere now. Because that's what came of her being happy. That's what _always_ came with her having a moment when she didn't doubt her every thought. Risen, and Grima, and she was too busy carrying a baby in her left arm to get out a sword (however the baby got there, why was there a baby, she hadn't even…) and everything had gone straight to hell already.

She rolled her eyes. At this point, what else could she do?

"We killed you, in case you forgot. I helped stab you in the ribs. I mean, gag me. This burning world no sun thing was old the first time. I'm not even scared any more. I'm just bored!"

" **SELENA!** "

Grima threw back his massive jaws and laughed.

"Look down."

Severa did. Her mother's face looked up from the bundle in her arms.

"Hello, mother. Are you ready to feel worthless again?"

Severa snapped awake and sighed.

Gawds, like she didn't have enough issues already.

" **SELENA!** "

And no time to cope with them. Perfect.

"I'm coming! Give a girl some time to look good in the morning! I know you've never tried it, but…"

Severa stopped. She was being a bitch again. Which might be fine if she was being awful at someone who deserved it, but the maid didn't. Severa adjusted her tack.

"I just need some time. I'll get going as soon as I can, okay?"

"Lady Camilla said not to…"

"Lady Camilla knows to not rush a lady in the morning. She's got the best. That means she has to let the best have time to be HER best. Just tell her I'll be quick, and that she can yell at _me_ if she has any trouble."

"Of… of course!"

Severa could hear the maid's footsteps echoing down the hall. Running. Perfect job, Severa! Way to terrify someone who was already living in a castle that was halfway between Grima's liver and a volcano. Might as well get ready for the day to ruin more lives. Not like there was anything else useful.

She slouched over to the mirror and stumbled through the basic routines. She knew how to make her face approach tolerable by now, and her hair wasn't _much_ worse. Besides, Lady Camilla somehow thought she was cute no matter what. There might be brain damage involved, but it saved some work, and more importantly, meant she had time to focus on the centerpiece.

The mark on her hand.

Owain was lucky his mark stayed hidden. Also a whiner for acting like it being hidden was a problem. Severa's mark just keep popping up, no matter how often she tried to bury it under makeup, and no matter what the idiot who brought her here did to hide it in the first place.

At least it wasn't glowing today. Yet. Severa winced and placed the standard blocking layer between the mark and her gloves. Some makeup. Some bandaging. A little soreness in exchange for no-one knowing you were hellspawn. All that, and she was ready to face the world.

Unfortunately, she had to face Camilla instead.

Severa managed not to run face first into anything, but it was a near miss.

"Lady Camilla! You didn't need to come here. I just wanted to make sure I'd handle things right."

Camilla shook her head and smiled as she patted Severa on the head.

"I was worried about my precious little retainer on such a big day."

Severa rolled her eyes and shoved the hand aside.

"You know, I'm older than you are. I remember when I was _taller_ than you were. The motherly act isn't really convincing."

"But you're still so adorable. You can hardly blame me."

"In case you didn't notice, I can blame anyone for anything. What do you need from your _favorite_ retainer?"

Camilla paused.

"Well, I wanted to make sure one of my favorite retainers was there for the ceremony. Trabant will feel much more at ease with a few more familiar scents in the air. And I know I don't want him to suffer."

"You're rushing me around to make sure your _Wyvern_ feels comfortable? G. A. W. D. S. I mean, you know I'm always eager to help, but the dumb thing nearly bit me last time I was around him!"

"And he's normally such a sweet wyvern. I'll have to _talk_ to him."

Severa shook her head and started walking down the hall.

"Don't worry too much about it. I'm _used_ to animals hating me. It's not like I want to be their friend either. I just don't see why there's such a rush. A girl needs her beauty sleep sometimes, you know?"

Camilla tilted her head.

"Am I overworking my precious Selena?"

Severa waved off the comment.

"Oh, no. **You're** fine. Great. The model employer, especially compared to some of the utter brain dribbling idiots I've had to deal with. It's everything else about the court."

"You don't like it here?"

"Let's see. My closest coworker was hired when _she tried to kill you_ , your precious little sister has _ninjas_ try to break in every time Hoshido's possibly psychotic ruler sneezes, _your own mother_ tried to have you killed to get a little sympathy love from King Garon, before **I** had to kill her right back, I'm pretty sure that there have been more losses to assassinations than to actual battles, someone poisoned the mutton at the last three banquets, and to top it all off I can't find a nice looking yukata for sale anywhere."

Severa looked up from her fingers, which had been marking off every complaint.

"I guess I was wrong. Everything's perfect! "

"I'm sorry I drew you into all of this."

"No, it's fine. I _volunteered_. Because, clearly. I'm going daft in my old age. Although… there is one thing that would make everything work much better."

"Of course. For my little Selena, I'm sure I can arrange something, especially since she's going to be at Travant's ceremony."

Severa half grinned.

"If King Garon choked on a bit of gristle, or fell down some stairs, or just was too slow when an assassin came to kill him in his sleep… well, I'm not suggesting anything. It just would make some things much easier, that's all."

Camilla's eyes went wide.

"You… don't even joke about that!"

Severa's eyes just rolled.

"Oh, like he's such a _great_ parent. I'm not saying that either of us are coming here fresh from a father of the year ceremony, and _gods_ know that my family history doesn't leave me in a place to judge, but come on."

"He could…"

"Get stabbed by a lucky ninja? Look, I know he's supposed to be really tough and I should act all _scared_ because he has an axe and is taller than I am, but _come on_. In case you didn't notice, he's not a demon, a dragon, or anything else impressive. He's just a king. And kings die all the time."

"He's… you haven't seen him at full strength."

Severa felt the mark on her hand burn.

"And he hasn't seen mine. Look, it's not like you'd have to do it. I'm just saying, well, if an accident happens, you didn't hear anything."

Camilla looked terrified.

"I didn't hear _this_. I care about you too much to let someone think you'd say _anything_ against King Garon."

Gods. Severa hated seeing Camilla like this. She was so _confident_ normally, but try to bring up the fact her father was, well, about as bad as Severa's father, and her grandfather (and probably her _great_ grandfather, knowing her luck) and she was useless. Some day, someone was going to have to do something, and Severa was getting the sinking feeling that someone would have to be _her._

Well, it was a problem for another day. Today…

"So, what's the dumb ceremony anyway? I mean, I've been to a wyvern's birthday party before, and it didn't seem like something you'd go for. No offense."

Camilla looked like she hadn't quite shaken off the last conversation, but she tried to recollect her poise anyway.

"It's not a birthday."

"I figured _that_ out already. In case you didn't notice, you didn't bring Odin along. Or Peri. Or Arthur. Or Effie. Or Corrin. Or… this is getting depressing. Look. Just tell me what I should know before I get there, okay?"

"Of course. My precious and brilliant Selena deserves an answer."

Severa blushed. Really, compliments shouldn't matter that much to her. But no. Flattery worked on her like a common street floozy.

"You're right. I do!"

"Well, you know that Malig Knights…"

Severa winced at the pun. Camilla didn't seem to notice.

"Are some of the most elite soldiers in the Nohrian army. The most respected. The most able to… change things, to ensure they don't get out of hand or left to men like Iago."

"Right."

"Father has graciously allowed me to join them. There's only one small problem. You see, their mounts…"

"Have breath that smells like hell? I noticed. At least they don't make any trouble."

"Not around you. My sweetest retainer seems to have a gift for keeping them in line. Of course, sometimes, less courageous servants have issues. Their mounts are… dead. Or somewhat dead."

Severa's teeth locked. Of course. Risen. Why wasn't she surprised?

"And you're going to have to put Travant down? I don't love him, but that seems like a waste."

"He should be fine at the end of it. After all, he's served so well! I'm sure Anakos will reward him."

Severa's teeth slid a little.

"Because Anakos does _so much_ good for Nohr. Just tell Garon…"

Severa sighed.

"Right. You don't want to argue. I'll be there for you. But only for you! If it was just Garon's idea, I'd get the sleep I've been wanting all week instead. Got it?"

"Of course."

"Good!"

Severa grabbed for the knocker before Camilla could. She was older. She was the combat savvy veteran. She was going to at least _pretend_ that meant something for as long as she could.

"Hey! Lady Camilla wants this door open! Who's going to be dumb enough to disappoint her?"

The door opened. Severa smiled.

Camilla shook her head.

"You could have been more polite, darling."

"I could have. But come on. Why should I? I mean, it's not like they're _expecting_ any different."

Severa stopped smiling as she entered the auditorium. Her father had never told her that much about the Grimaleal when she was growing up, even when he was still talking to her instead of hiding in his room or doing… _being_ something much worse. Her father's younger double had no memories of anything about it, nothing that Severa hadn't seen herself. For someone with so much blood running in the right channels, she didn't know much at all about the old family religion.

But she knew enough to recognize the style.

She knew Nohr was the kind of nation where the residents liked to stand on balconies and decry the fools below. She'd just hoped it _wasn't_ the kind of nation where they drained your blood as an offering to the dark dragon gods. For years now, she'd managed to avoid seeing anything that even vaguely looked like it had originally designed for some kind of horrific blood offering, and she was looking forward to keeping that track record for years to come.

So much for that.

Camilla didn't see anything off, of course. Why would she? If her father basically _cackling_ every third sentence didn't set off alarms, nothing would.

Severa, on the other hand…

Felt more at ease than she had in years. Wasn't _that_ wonderful.

"So, this is it, huh? Where are they keeping your big stupid lizard?"

"Travant is waiting in his cage. I wanted to stay with him, but I was told that I couldn't."

"And then you asked again. With an axe."

"And then I asked again _politely_. ...With an axe. But poor Travant _has_ to be alone, or else the ritual is more likely to fail. It seems the poor dear will have to wait a while longer before he can see his mommy again."

Severa winced.

"That's rough. I mean, it's not like I like him or anything, but, gah. I'd hate to spend six or seven hours alone waiting for my execution."

Camilla frowned.

"Days."

"That would be even worse."

"It… will be over soon. He'll understand."

Severa took her seat and left her doubts.

In the center of the arena, robed priests emerged from the ground, escorted by faceless.

One bowed for Camilla.

"Princess Camilla. The blood of the dusk dragon flows in your veins. The legacy of heroes is written on your soul. If there is any doubt in your treacherous heart, expel it. If your mind has any thought of the dawn, deny it. For only the soul purest in commitment to Anakos may see rebirth, and only the beast most worthy may bring forth the ancient god's will!"

"I have seen the dark and not turned. I have tasted madness and stood firm. The night is my home, and the dawn is my enemy. May I ever serve, and ever rule. In his name."

"In his name!"

The faceless roared for the heavens. Severa felt a chill down her spine, and remembered her childhood.

The priest turned to face her.

"And you. Servant. Do you resolve to follow your master's will? Will you see her as…"

"Fine. Sure. _Whatever_. Look, I've got better things to do with my life, so let's stop wasting everyone's time and get on with things."

The priest sighed.

"This is not the proper attitude for one in the presence of a god."

"No. It isn't. Maybe you could work on it."

The priest closed his eyes and took a breath.

"And this is your retainer, lady Camilla? Are you certain she will accompany you?"

"Of course. Travant should have some good company. Especially if… he's found wanting."

"If you say so, your royal highness. I cannot promise the results you desire with a… nonbeliever in the wings. But we will attempt to act properly by the dragon and by the blood you share with him."

Severa snorted. If having non-believers nearby was a problem, they should have picked a different castle. Probably a different country, if she'd seen representative samples. At least she believed Anakos _existed_ , which was more than she could say for, oh, Beruka.

"We will continue, then. If there are no interruptions."

Severa didn't bother with one. Right now, the main goal was getting all of this done so that Lady Camilla could return to worrying about more important things. IE, things that Severa thought were important.

The Wyvern was dragged into the center of the arena, and the priests muttered things in a tongue Severa couldn't quite understand. All she could say with confidence was that it had been a long, long time since anyone in the room who wasn't her had talked to a god, or anything close enough to convince. All ritual, no response. And a poor, stupid wyvern in the middle, even more off balance than the priests.

It tilted its head from one end of the room to the others, looked at the priests and the faceless, then looked at Camilla.

Camilla looked away. The wyvern kept staring at her.

Camilla looked to Severa. Her eyes were begging for a distraction, an excuse. Anything. Severa looked at the wyvern.

It was a big stupid jerk who hated her, of course. It didn't have the right to make Lady Camilla feel guilty. It should be grateful she was even here to see it.

It still probably deserved better than it was getting. Severa looked back to Camilla.

"It's… you… look. There's a lot of worse things people have to feel guilty for. Especially around here."

It was true. It also meant just about nothing, and from the look of her, Camilla recognized it. Not that Camilla kept looking at Severa for long.

In the center, the priests were still chanting. Severa could feel some of the words in her bones, know what they meant. Even spoken in unknowing tongues, they gave strength to their master. Even such weak creatures, snivling in their ignorance, could provide the fuel of their own undoing. Simple ritual, simple actions could bring forth the destroyer, claiming the lands another claimed to protect. She could…

Severa shook her head and her hand. The mark was burning again, which was pretty much a perfect capper to an already fun morning. Gods only knew what she'd been muttering, and in front of Lady Camilla too. If she wanted to keep a reputation as a PROFESSIONAL and DIGNIFIED retainer, one worthy of her position, this wasn't the way to do it.

Her self recriminations were interrupted by a scream. The faceless had pinned Travant to the ground, and now one was lifting an axe. It smashed into the wyvern's skull with a wet thump.

Camilla was looking away and trying not to cry. Severa didn't blame her.

The priests didn't even bother to blink. Severa did blame them.

"And so, a mortal life ends, to be reborn in the wisdom and power of Anakos. For there is no creature so humble he cannot find a use, and no monster so powerful that he cannot make it greater still."

He shouted something unpronounceable. The faceless threw their arms back and roared. Soon, a black energy flowed from their bodies into the wyvern, rebuilding broken flesh and bone. One by one, the faceless collapsed into ash, as the wyvern's body filled with new energy. It looked like it would rise again in moments, that the eyes would light up with mad desire and the wings would flap, and the demon's scream would fill the air. Another mount for Nohr's finest knights. Something that would let Camilla forgive herself.

But it never came. Travant was still dead. Dead dead, not even a risen, let alone what he was meant to be. Just a stupid corpse that used to be a stupid Wyvern. Surrounded by stupid priests, stupid piles of dust, and two stupid women who had left him to this when they should have known better.

Severa, as usual, wasn't sure who she hated most. Then again, she had plenty of pointless anger and resentment to go around. No point in trying to restrict it to one target.

After a moment, the lead priest turned away.

"The blood was impure, or the faith was weak. Lady Camilla, you have been found wanting in the eyes of your god. Perhaps, in the future, you will redeem yourself. Perhaps some day, you will be found worthy. But this is not that day, and your beast has paid the price for your failure. The blood of gods will wait for a more fitting vessel. Now, if you have anything to confess..."

Severa glared.

"I can confess I just sat through ten minutes of garbage. Would that make you happy?"

"Are you questioning the sacred…"

"I'm questioning a bunch of idiots in bathrobes who couldn't run a cult to an angry kitten. Or do I have to go into more detail to explain why you're so dumb?"

The priest smirked.

"Ah. I was wondering why the rituals failed. It seems even the sacred blood of King Garon is insufficient to overcome the will of an unbeliever. Perhaps Lady Camilla could reconsider the company she keeps."

"Perhaps you could reconsider boring me and killing a wyvern Lady Camilla actually liked for no good reason! Or maybe you should just stop copying notes off kindergarteners for what worshipping a dark god looks like, because trust me. You're awful at it."

The priest raised his hand, then looked at the sword Severa carried. His hand lowered.

"The dragon will deal with you, in his time. It is simply a shame that you would tarnish his chosen daughter. Lady Camilla will recover, in time, but every second spent away from his service… I will leave you to the corpse. Consider your sins."

The priests swiftly filed out of the room. After a moment, Camilla stood. Severa stood after her.

"Sorry they insulted you over me. If it makes you feel any better, they wouldn't know Anankos if he walked up and bit them. Trust me."

Camilla didn't seem to hear her. She was too busy walking towards Travant. And misting up.

She had the wyvern's head in her hands.

"I'm sorry. Mommy shouldn't have asked so much from you. You were a good wyvern. Better than mommy could have asked for. I knew the risks, but I thought I was good enough to protect you, and…"

Severa recognized the telltale signs someone was about to break down sobbing. All of them were on display right now. Lady Camilla was about to be about as miserable as she got.

Or Severa was about to try something very, very stupid.

"Lady Camilla?"

Camilla didn't look up.

"Yes?"

"I think I might be able to help. They just said the stupid wyvern needed blood, right? Maybe they didn't give it enough."

Camilla looked up.

"Not enough sacred blood."

It was the tone you'd use for a particularly stupid child you couldn't quite hate. Severa knew it too well.

"Look. Just let me try something. And don't panic. I mean… it's not like he's getting more dead, right? You've helped me. Let me pay you back a little."

Camilla nodded, and took a step back. Severa took a breath and removed her glove.

"Just to be clear, if you tell anyone about any of this, you're dead."

Her hand reached into the dead wyvern's mouth. She could feel her blood burning. Her face felt like it had too many eyes, and her mind was running along channels she never wanted.

She focused.

"Come on you stupid lizard. You don't want to make Lady Camilla cry, do you?"

Her hand scraped on the tooth. Blood flowed from her to the creature.

Travant opened his eyes. Severa jerked her hand back.

The wyvern was staring at her, like it was waiting for direction. A first…

Severa shook her head.

"There. Fixed your stupid wyvern. It turns out there was something stuck in its throat, which, of course, those idiots couldn't figure out."

Camilla blinked.

"He's… alive?"

"At least he's not normal dead. Look, he's going to serve you more reliably than I am. Don't ask too many questions, okay?"

"Of course."

Camilla grabbed Severa and the wyvern in her arms.

"My sweet baby is back. How can I thank my most perfect little retainer for her help?"

"You can start by letting me breathe again."

Camilla just pulled tighter.

Severa sighed. A mad king, a hellscape of a country, and now this. Her life was getting worse by the day. But at least one good thing was coming out of the whole mess. A closer bond with her family.

Finally, she could understand why her father wanted to destroy the world.

* * *

 **(Author's notes: Remember when I said there probably wouldn't be another one of these? Turns out, I lied. Sorry?**

 **I know some people aren't fond of the Awakening returning cast, especially with how their presence is only explained in DLC... which contradicts the plot as revealed in the main game. And honest, I sympathize. It hurts what integrity the plot of Fates has, and just leans more on people liking Awakening, which the game did enough already.**

 **But, well, I liked those idiots, and seeing them after a few years of character development was even better. Definitely my favorite of the game's huge pile of weird Awakening callbacks.**

 **Which is where we start with the story, I suppose. The royal families have dragon blood that allows them to influence the lands around them. I figured that a little more dragon blood might be able to influence a few things here or there, and I liked Robin and Cordelia already... well, things kind of tumbled into place from there.**

 **It's funny. When I started Awakening, I really didn't like Severa. She was competing with Laurent for the bottom of my personal character list. Time passed. I saw more of her supports, did some writing, and suddenly when Fates rolled around, she somehow wound up my favorite in Conquest.**

 **So, yeah. I suppose there's more to say, somewhere, but it's not coming to mind quickly. So, hope you liked, don't know when more's coming, but it's more likely than not there will, some day, be more, and thank you for reading.)**


	3. Pick me up and turn me 'round

It was a remarkable country.

Then again, that was to be expected. It produced the most remarkable woman Leo had ever met. If she had come from a less worthy country, it would have been more of a surprise.

It was green and lush, like Hoshido in the spring (not that Leo had seen it, but he'd read the books, and that was about the same thing) with Nohr's native flora. As if the dragon had blessed his homeland and ignored Hoshido, as if he'd been born to a country that never knew want. It was enough to goggle already.

But there was more. In the trees, in the water, in the very air, there was no trace of Anankos. The dragon god that defined everything that Leo had seen before, the creature that Leo's entire family knew by their own blood, the god he had helped kill, had never touched this world. Here, the country was good simply because it was _good_. Not because some creature's arbitrary whim turned towards one nation and smited another.

It boggled the mind.

You could probably grow excellent tomatoes here…

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing."

Sel… Severa smirked.

"Wrong answer. It was SUPPOSED to be 'My new wife's beautiful' something or other. Gawds, you _really_ don't know how to do romance. You're just lucky I felt sorry for you."

Leo smiled.

"You felt sorry."

"Okay, I felt sorry _and_ impressed, and you were handsome royalty, so okay, I didn't exactly get the bad end of the deal. We're both lucky, alright?"

She paused.

"Wait. _I'm_ lucky. Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because _I_ got to leave your insane family behind. _You_ get to meet my family, and now you'll have to deal with them at least once a year for the rest of your life."

"I can deal with you. How bad can they be?"

Severa smirked again.

Leo felt a chill that wasn't from the cold. There were times a dark mage's instincts were more a curse than a blessing.

Three hours later, they had reached a moderate sized home in sight of a castle, with a small stable to the side. A pegasus chewed on hay. After a second, it looked at Leo, then seemed to shrug and return to its meal.

If he didn't know better, Leo would feel insulted. Knowing better, Leo didn't know how to feel.

Severa seemed insulted by everything no matter what happened, which meant she was at the door before Leo had even decided on a clever response.

"Open up!"

Someone did. A white haired young man, a little older than Leo, in what looked like a Hoshidan elite's longcoat, with one sleeve ripped off to expose a strange birthmark or tattoo.

It took Leo a moment to recognize the face with the unfamiliar accoutrements.

"...Odin?"

"I don't know who you're talking about Lord Le… Leo… stranger who I have never met. Perhaps you have met a fellow child of destiny wandering down darkened roads of a hero. For the cursed blood…"

"Odin, I can't imagine anyone else speaking like you do."

"Odin? Odin? Hark! The name of such a warrior brings forth a boiling in the blood, but I cannot claim to have met such a champion. For I am…"

A voice came from deeper in the house.

"Owain! What's taking so long? I have _needs_!"

"Err… guests. For hark, my fair partner! Thoust can see thy dire and fiendish sibling with strange foreign accompaniment!"

"Severa? Severa and a boyfriend, girlfriend, and/or spouse? Wait just a second!"

Leo could hear the sounds of hastily donned clothing and footsteps tumbling down stairs as someone knocked stacks of books to the floor, disturbed wall fixtures, and generally displayed no decorum whatsoever. A young woman tumbled into view, with bright red hair and a wide smile.

"Hey Severa! Um, I really did have a plan to set up a big family party, but I thought you wouldn't be back for another week, and, um, husband. Too long apart.. ...Err… I'm guessing you really don't want the details?"

Leo blinked. Odin. Married. To someone living in Severa's house. He wanted details. He wanted many, many details, in the possibly vain hope that some day the world would make sense again, but he had the feeling he wasn't going to get any of them, and it wouldn't help if he did.

At any rate, the woman turned to face Leo and smiled.

"Speaking of… AWOOGA! Nice going, Severa!"

Leo blinked again. He'd never been the best in the world at dealing with women, but he didn't think anyone else would be _less_ awkward in this situation.

"Who… are you?"

"Oh, right! I'm Severa's charming and/or psychotic little sister, Morgan. Which means it's _probably_ only fair for you to say something. Otherwise I'd kind of be stuck calling you 'Severa's hunky new boytoy'. It mostly works for me, but I think it might get a little long."

"I am Prince Leo of Nohr."

"Aw, we're supposed to do titles? Unfair! I would have something better for that if I'd known. Still, Leo. Got it. I'll go tell father you're both here. Just wait a minute. He and mother are going to be excited to see you again. Almost as excited as you are."

Severa rolled her eyes.

"You know I'm only here because I have to be, right? And even then, it's more for you and Owain than it is for them."

"Awww. Leo, you know she only acts like this when she really likes people, right? It's the hot and cold charm that gets all the boys. Come on! Oh… gods! Almost forgot!"

Morgan dashed forward and locked her arms around Severa's chest.

"You're back you're back you're back my favorite sister is back! I missed you so much and you're back!"

Severa blushed.

"I missed you too, alright? Just… let me breathe. Please."

Morgan nodded and released her grip.

"Right! Father and mother need to be warned that Tropical Storm Severa is coming back into Ylisse!"

She dashed off the hall. Severa sighed and turned to face Leo.

"Don't listen to her. Please. Her voice has been known to cause insanity in anyone who hears it. Welcome to the family, by the way."

Then she dashed after.

Leo followed Morgan and Severa down the hall past piles of books and maps, carefully arranged along shelves by someone other than the original reader. It was an impressive library, even by royal standards. There was a focus on strategies in warfare and small unit tactics, but there was a little of everything. Histories and romances, comedies and illustrated stories for small children. Whoever owned this collection had just earned more than a little of Leo's respect. Producing a daughter like Severa could have just been the devil's own luck, one good throw of the dice out of a very bad pool, one win in sucker's game. But this collection was years in the making, more impressive than Leo would dare dream of in a house of this size. It was impossible to imagine it was a coincidence.

Morgan paused as Leo stared at the books.

"Right. You'll want to see the library when we have a chance. Father still hasn't found a spot for those yet. We're still trying to figure out where Magvel fits."

This _wasn't_ the library, then. Leo's respect merged with a tinge of envy, but it could wait. He has people to meet.

A picture was forming of Severa's father, a man he'd assumed was long dead until recently. Who Severa had _said_ was dead.

(Then again, she had also said that her name was Selena, and that the feeling of deep seated dread in his stomach when he looked in her eyes was probably nothing. Severa had not always been _entirely_ honest.)

He was an old scholar. Probably worn out from the sheer… enthusiasm of his youngest child. Kind, but stern, and well past his glory days. Still. A man who may still have a few lessons to teach. He was still weighing the situation when the shouting started.

He turned the corner to see Severa squeezed between three other people in an embrace tight enough to embarrass _Camilla_. It was impossible to tell what everyone was saying through the din, but Leo could pick up snatches of conversation.

"Gone for so long!"

"Fine! I missed you! Are you happy?"

"Owain said…"

"Yes, of _course_ I did brilliantly! I don't know why you'd expect anything else. And yes, UGH, it WAS a nightmare keeping Inigo in line…"

The snatches of conversation seemed to need more context if they were going to mean anything beyond "Severa was blessed with a family that wasn't trying to murder her." Leo turned his attention to distinguishing the figures, newly seperated and still chattering on. There was the girl from earlier, of course. Morgan. Smaller than her sister, but she left Leo with the same uneasy feeling, like a god had found him wanting. Leo's eyes moved away as quickly as they could.

"Owain", in a corner, almost as unsure of what to do with himself as Leo, and with his outfit considerably more… rumpled. Leo decided not to let his imagination work on that particular topic.

There was a tall woman Severa had difficulty maintaining eye contact with nearby, in what looked like a pegasus's knight's underarmor. Her hair was the same shade of red as every other woman in the room, and she seemed to be barely controlling a flood of tears. Family, likely as not, and the _exact_ sort of person who might inspire a lifelong inferiority complex.

And finally, there was a man in a battered old coat, smiling under tired eyes. Eyes that glanced over at Leo, and paused.

The man slapped his forehead.

"He's Leo, isn't he?"

Severa turned away from the tall woman to roll her eyes at the man.

"Yes. Great job neglecting your son-in-law already. He'll fit right in."

Leo blinked. Son-in-law. As in…

Leo took a step closer.

"Prince Leo of Nohr, yes. You must be Severa's father."

The man (scarcely five years older than Severa, if that) jabbed his hand out like he was planning to milk a cow.

"Robin. And I know. She was lucky enough to get more of her mother's looks than mine. I'm sorry we've been ignoring you so far."

"Think nothing of it."

Leo did his best to keep his teeth from clenching at the thought the man _wouldn't_.

"Thank you for the patience. We've just been busy with the woman of the hour, and… oh, right. The most beautiful woman in the world is Cordelia, and from the sound of things you've already met everyone else."

"I have, yes."

The woman, Cordelia, turned away from Severa to Leo for a moment, then turned back to Severa. Severa rolled her eyes again.

"Yes. Fine. Talk to him. I didn't miss you so much that I'm going to break down sobbing after you spend five seconds meeting my… oh gods. I have a husband now."

"You know I'm here for you…"

"Be somewhere else for me, then! Please. I…"

Severa took a breath. Let it out.

"Fine. I love you and I missed you, alright? But not that much! Just talk to him. I promise I won't hold it against you forever. _This time_."

Cordelia smiled.

"Well, if you insist."

"I do. Stop making up for lost time already!"

Cordelia turned towards Leo.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you, Leo. I'm sorry we don't have anything special prepared. This is shorter notice than I'm used to."

"I'm sure I can survive. Cordelia, was it?"

Leo could smell tomato paste in the air. 'Survive' was something of an understatement. They had that manner of bounty for a night without 'anything special'. No wonder Severa was so eager to leave Nohr.

Cordelia turned away.

"Yes. And _I'm_ sure I should go back to dinner before it burns. I've been a little distracted."

Robin smiled.

"I'm sure it will be _perfect._ "

Cordelia turned back for half a second to shoot Robin A Look that Leo had previously assumed only Severa could manage before vanishing into the kitchen. Robin shook his head.

"Gods, I am luckier than I deserve."

"The devil's own?"

"At least a double share of it."

The man chuckled, like he was making a private joke. Leo tried his best not to be offended at the lack of an explanation.

"So, you… have a substantial library here."

"I'm sorry about the mess. It's just… well, you have to keep up on your tactics. I just picked something up about the Nohrian defense of Cadros pass. It took me three days before I could find a major flaw in the deployment of the heavy air cavalry."

"Oh. Three days. Was that all?"

Robin frowned.

"Well, it took me the better part of three _weeks_ to figure out how to use that to rout the defenders, but that was all building off the initial work. Finding the first cracks almost guarantees victory, given enough time."

"Oh. So a better tactician would have avoided those problems, under the pressure of two advancing armies?"

"Well, ideally, yes. It's…"

Leo could feel his blood coming to a boil. This amateur was treating a battle where Leo risked his life, where the man's own daughter could have _died_ as an exercise for beginners. He…

"It's a compliment."

Leo turned to see that Severa had removed herself from Owain and Morgan's company.

"What?"

"He does that to everyone. Just takes their strategies, plots them out, and figures out how he could do it _so much better_. Three weeks is probably a record."

Morgan looked up from her and Owain's corner of the room (interrupting something _else_ with her mouth, by the look of things.)

"Three weeks, two days, four hours and counting!"

"Let me guess. Your new record."

"Yep!"

Robin sighed.

"You made a mistake somewhere. But yes. Three weeks is a very good record, and it's a pleasure to meet… wait. You're..."

Leo opened his mouth.

"Dinner's ready!"

Leo closed his mouth and calmly took a seat. Arguing with a man like Severa's father was considerably less important than dinner. It would wait. The food would not.

Cordelia quickly split the meal across six places, each plate spinning to a perfect stop with an ideal balance between initial servings and future requirements, before she took a seat, stepping over what seemed to be a large lump on the floor, concealed by the table, in the corner where Morgan and Owain…

Leo turned his attention back to the food. He had the feeling his appetite wouldn't survive a distraction at this point.

Robin coughed.

"So. How did you two meet?"

Leo looked up. This was difficult. On the one hand, his mouth was full of food. To speak in that kind of condition would be… undignified. To say the least. On the other hand, refusing to answer would leave the man to assume Leo was unworthy of his daughter. It would…

"His half sister hired me as a bodyguard."

Not be his problem for a little longer. He finished his bite.

Severa was still looking down at her steak.

"I promised not to tell everything, but basically a big dumb dragon god hired me, Inigo, and O… _someone else_ on full on gag-me levels of short notice to protect one of about a dozen and a half people who were mostly planning to kill each other without telling us which one he actually wanted alive. Then he got killed like an idiot before he could even give a _hint_ as to what he wanted, so we just had to _guess._ "

Leo turned to face Severa.

"Dragon god?"

"Ugh, yes. I'm basically a magnet for them. Sorry for not mentioning that in the vows."

Severa closed her eyes.

"Sorry for not mentioning a lot of things. I just… ugh. It's stupid. I thought you might not want me any more if you knew some of them."

"Like your parents still being alive?"

"It's complicated, okay?"

She turned back towards her parents.

"So, I worked for his sister, and tried to keep the stupid family from self destructing until I knew who was actually important."

Leo nodded.

"She brought a few games to keep herself occupied while waiting for the results of the little meetings. 'War of the Dragon's Blade'. I thought it looked interesting, so I offered to play a round one evening, before she left."

Severa half smiled.

"And I was sure that a pampered noble would be easy prey, like everyone else I'd met on the whole continent. It only took five turns."

Leo smirked.

"For me to win, yes."

"Fine! Tell it _your_ way."

"I will, then. Your daughter insisted on a rematch. Weekly. When she was busy with her other duties, she sent her moves by raven, or had Odin relay the latest board to her, or similar. I never played against anyone else more than once. They knew when they were beaten. But she…"

"I knew that I could do it. You weren't winning by that much."

Leo decided not to argue the point.

"At any rate, it meant I was seeing her about as often as I saw anyone else outside of my immediate family, other than my own retainers. Which meant we talked."

"And it turned out he _wasn't_ an idiot, unlike about half of his family. So, when I eventually _won_ , in an unparalleled complete shutout better than any of his victories, I thought…"

Severa blushed.

"We were in the middle of a war, and there was no way to know if we'd even live to see the next day. So… um… yeah. We rushed the ceremony a _little_. It wasn't like he was going to find anyone better, anyway."

Leo smiled.

"And that confidence shows again. Not many commoners would suggest a prince of Nohr couldn't…"

Across the room, someone snickered. Leo turned to see that Morgan and Owain had taken their seats again, their clothing a little worse for the wear. And Morgan was snickering.

"Excuse me?"

Morgan held up a hand in apology.

"Oh, it's not… it's just calling Severa a commoner. It's funny!"

"Well, I admit she's a most uncommon commoner, but breeding…"

Severa leaned back in her chair.

"Ugh. You _had_ to bring it up, didn't you."

Morgan smiled.

"Yep."

"Fine! I was going to tell you later, but my grandfather was king of Plegia. Which isn't _quite_ as awful as Nohr, but trust me. It's not great. So, _technically_ daddy's the uncrowned king, if they ever manage to sort _anything_ out."

"You're nobility."

"Look. It's not like it mattered. Besides, it would be political if I mentioned it then, or something else stupid. It was hard enough to leave already."

"You left throne and crown behind, for us?"

Severa shook her head.

"For me. I _was_ being paid for the work."

Robin lifted an eyebrow.

"Paid with…"

"It's private, alright? I wasn't doing it because I loved you all or something. I was being _paid_."

Leo looked down.

"I assumed as much. You do have a rather… mercenary air about you from time to time."

Severa's smirk wobbled.

"Right. Not exactly the perfect little royal. I can see why _that_ was a surprise."

"Of course, you weren't paid for everything."

"Some of it was just doing the job right."

"And after King Garon was gone?"

Severa looked at Leo. Leo looked at her. Both looked away. Severa took a breath.

"It…I… I thought you'd want me to leave that out. I was trying to help you give a good impression, instead of breaking down at the table. Shows what happens when I try to do something nice."

Leo cleared his throat.

"Do you want to know when I knew your daughter was the only woman in the world I could give my life? My father… the _thing_ I thought was my father, tried to kill me in cold blood. And I could do nothing, I could barely raise my hand against it to save my own life. After that, of course, I had to stay composed. Everyone else was breaking down and blubbering, or in shock, or dealing with the other aftermath of his mad campaign. I was the one who remembered the order of things. What we had to do to maintain order."

Leo closed his eyes.

"I was heartless. The perfect prince, who could wipe his father's blood off his armor without blinking. My family needed a rock. And no-one else would understand."

Leo smiled.

"And then a woman slid into my room with a distraction. She had sworn never to play the game again, of course. But… she said I might be distracted enough that she could manage another win."

Severa's teeth gnashed. The smallest bit, but Leo could hear the grinding.

"Which you weren't."

"Which I wasn't, although that _was_ the closest match I've ever played. But it provided something else to focus on. And somewhere in the… third? hour, she mentioned that she understood, without sounding like a liar. Then she announced that she was here for me. Whatever it took."

Severa rolled her eyes.

"He proposed. I told him that I couldn't stay in Nohr."

"I said that wherever she placed her coat would be my home."

"And it just got worse from there. Trust me, it was _painful_. Just admitting that I liked him too was a relief in comparison."

"We fit the wedding in between the coronation ceremonies. It seemed like it would be a shame to waste the priests. A few goodbyes, dealing with the last of my duties, and then… she lead me here. And here we are."

Robin nodded.

"Well. It's a start. I'll leave a few of the questions for when you've had a little time to eat, if only because it would be a crime to let food this good grow cold. But I will have more questions. And then Cordelia will have questions. And finally, Morgan will have questions, which you are not prepared for."

Leo smiled. He'd survived the political snakepits of the Nohrian courts, international politicking, and teaching Corrin how to not ruin every single aspect of both. He could handle Severa's little sister.

Morgan smiled across the table.

Leo… began to doubt that he could handle Severa's little sister.

Well. No matter. There was a tomato salad on the table and Severa beside him. It would be enough to keep him for now.

Terror could wait until after sheer bliss had taken its turn. And that wasn't for a long time yet.

* * *

It was a good night, by family reunion standards.

Severa paused. No. It was just a good night. No need to grade it on a curve like that. Morgan and Owain didn't make things too embarrassing. Father didn't push anything forward that Severa had wanted to save mentioning in detail for later (maybe because he didn't want to think about the details of the Grima thing too much himself), and mother… Severa was actually able to look her mother in the eye for a minute, which was better than she expected going into things. And now, she was alone on the roof, and not even breaking into full on pathetic sobbing.

Truly, she was the daughter of the most perfect person in the world.

Severa looked down. Someone was climbing up after her. Her hand was on her sword and her feet were near the edge before she remembered.

This was Ylisse.

This was safe.

And the face dangling below her with a wide and oh-so-convincingly vacant smile just belonged to her sister, not a probably murderer. Not like Nohr.

Gods. It was good to be home, but it didn't exactly feel like home yet. Severa wasn't quite sure it ever would.

"What are you doing up here, you little turd?"

Morgan swung herself onto the roof next to Severa, one eyebrow up like her next response was almost too obvious to be worth saying.

"Spending time with my sister. Well, my older sister, since my younger sister is probably busy chucking blocks at my father-in-law's head. She's gotten a lot bigger since last time you saw her."

Severa frowned.

"So, she wound up a little brat. So much for…"

"What? No. She just had a really good throwing arm. Other than that, she's sweet. Like you when you think no-one is looking."

Morgan's smile had been fading as she spoke. It was almost gone now.

"She really reminds me of you. Which didn't make anything easier. At least Owain sent letters."

"Letters? That's all? He's your husband! He just ditched you, and now he wants to act like everything's okay?! I'll…"

Morgan glared.

"He asked first. He acted like this was something I had a say in! But you left without saying goodbye, like none of this mattered. You could have died! I mean, if Owain died, it would be probably the worst thing in this or any other possible world, but I'd get a last letter from Anna, and I'd know he loved me, and Henry and Lissa would know he loved them, and we'd be able to move on. You just left! If you died, no-one would know. There'd be rumors, and you know father would spend months chasing them down, but they'd keep coming up with nothing, and you'd…"

Morgan took a breath.

"You knew what it would mean to them. You had to. And you left anyway."

Severa rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine. Anyway, you'd be better…"

"Two: No, we wouldn't. And one? You're favoring your left leg, which you have to know father would pick up, so someone stabbed you hard enough to leave you with a limp for at least a week, you're showing signs of having survive mild yotsmung poisoning, which would have killed pretty much anyone who wasn't… well, us, your birthmark is glowing, you mentioned another dragon god…"

Morgan shook her head.

"You're not fine. You're only alive because you've nearly died enough to build an immunity."

"I didn't hear mom and dad complaining."

"They're too busy being relieved. Mother didn't have a good night's sleep once between when you were gone and when Owain said you were coming back. Father spent months writing strategies for how you could survive just to convince himself that's what you would do, that he didn't need to be terrified. And that's with me lying to cover for you."

"You lied to father for me."

"I didn't have a better plan. Which is… kind of embarrassing, as a tactician. I did maybe kind of sort of start implying you and Leo were making out way, way before it actually started. Just… so you know."

"You did what?"

Morgan's smile snapped back.

"I know you, sister, better than you know yourself. A good tactician always studies her enemies. Also her friends, family members, and possibly pets. I mean, Owain was going to take forever to notice, so I figured I should start laying groundwork. Father and mother are still incredibly disappointed that they couldn't be there for the wedding, and they might be pressuring your husband to let them get the Voice for a small ceremony in the eyes of Naga as we speak, but at least they were kind of prepared."

"You just had to be helpful, didn't you?"

"Part of my charm."

Morgan looked up at the stars.

"I would have come along. I mean, if you'd thought to ask me. Owain kind of didn't since… he doesn't always think things through, and I kind of didn't either since, Owain. But you do, and…"

Morgan looked down.

"I could have helped you keep safe."

"And then I'd be completely heartless."

"What?"

Severa shook her head.

"You keep talking about how awful it was for them to lose me, the worthless can't keep up daughter. Imagine how they would feel if I got the favorite killed."

"I didn't…"

"And you know what? Let me be selfish for just a second! Imagine how I would feel having to break the news! I did one thing right in my whole life. I kept you safe. Now you're angry at me for not throwing all of that away so that I could protect my nearly worthless life?"

"You're not worthless."

"Fine. So I could protect my less important than yours but still more important than most people in Nohr or Hoshido life. Is that any better?"

Morgan shrugged.

"It's a start. Come to think of it, wow, it would be awkward if you'd died. I mean, we wouldn't, with our natural talent, good looks, and quick wits, but yeah. I see the problem."

Morgan looked up at the stars again. Severa looked down at the ground. Neither said anything for a few moments.

"Of course, I had to do something stupid there, too."

Morgan smiled.

"Well, someone. And he doesn't seem that stupid. Actually, it sounded like father was impressed with him. Which… I was going to say father doesn't impress easily, but he finds the best in people. Still. This is the impressive kind of impressed."

"I'm so glad. I do everything for your approval."

"It's cute how you pretend you don't."

Severa smirked at Morgan.

"Like you don't do the same thing."

"Ah, but that's the difference between us, sister. I don't even try to hide it. I am pure and without guile."

Severa snorted.

"Gods. I missed this. I don't know why…"

Then she sighed.

"Which means Leo is going to spend his whole life missing his family. Great going, Severa. Not selfish at all."

"It's…"

"It's just more proof that…!"

Morgan punched Severa in the arm.

"It's just another sign how worth it you are! Besides, Anna owes me. I can help you both make this work."

Morgan shook her head.

"Besides. That's something we can worry about later. For now, you're back home, alive, and have at least one major demigod in your corner. Worrying can wait for tomorrow."

"When you'll really give me something to worry about."

"What did I say? No guile at all."

* * *

 **(Author's notes: Wow. Over two months since the last update. Eeesh. Sorry for the delay, people. Had a couple stories not quite pan out before this. Hope it doesn't apply here.**

 **With that out of the way, I should probably get onto the story proper. I know homecoming from Nohr for the Awakening trio isn't exactly untrodden ground, but I do like writing Morgan, so... this.**

 **Figured it would work best if Severa married someone with some common ground with the rest of the family. Genius, royal blood, parricidal tendencies, and dragon blood all fit Leo fairly well, if to a less intense degree than some of his new in-laws. He should be just fine.**

 **Thanks to Dane Namor for giving a lot of advice on improving the chapter, thanks to all of you for reading, hope you liked it, and see you when I see you. Until then, take care.)**


	4. Fata Morgan

Iago, chief tactician and chief advisor to the King of Nohr, wanted to die. Or at least, he wanted _someone_ to die and end his current suffering, and sadly he was the only current nominee.

It wasn't like he underperformed! He could brown nose with the best of them, even under current circumstances. So one day Garon wanted Corrin dead and the next he wanted the brat to sob into a pillow, very much alive? So his official assignments required some advanced planning that Iago was not fully informed on? So the King cackled like a madman while muttering something about fools?

That was all perfectly functional. Iago knew how to handle these things, and even when he couldn't, he knew the right words to set Garon at ease. But the man's children… they were a nightmare. Ever since they stopped killing each other, they had focused their ire on poor, innocent Iago, which really wasn't fair at all. So he burned a few towns? It was merely their father's wish! Even someone as naive as Xander would have to realize that a middleman like Iago would never set the larger agenda.

But no. Poor old Garon would never do such a thing, so Iago suffered all the blame. Typical nobles. No respect for those who _earned_ their position. Iago gritted his teeth. Garon needed plans in the morning, and the fools had shot down every one so far for being "sickeningly immoral, crimes against man and the gods which no respectable soul would ever consider."

Small. Minded. Iago shuddered to think how he'd have to work at the tables to find something the brats would allow to reach King Garon, but he would make the brats pay for…

Iago paused. There was someone at the table already. A girl in a coat.

The girl looked up.

"Oh, hey! I'm… Fay. Yes. That is my name, introduced in the rhyming couplet that I use frequently and not made up just now as a mnemonic to make sure I don't mess up like _certain people_. The next thing you're going to say is 'What are you doing here', right?"

"What are you doing…"

Fay pumped her fist in triumph.

"Yesss! I never get that one right! Score one point for...Fay. Because that's my name."

Iago felt for a tome. It would be simple enough to end this interloper, and her corpse would give answers enough.

The girl raised a finger.

"Also, before you kill me, I probably should say I'm Elise's new retainer. Admittedly, it's kind of easy right now, because hey, looking after a toddler who already has a nurse, but I figure even here it's bad form to murder a coworker on her first day."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, of course not. I mean, someone in your position has to be either a competent tactician or a really impressive sorceror. So, I'm totally sure you're a really, really impressive sorceror!"

Iago smiled.

"Good. At least you have a little respect for your betters."

"Always! Anyway, I broke into your house and started messing with all your strategies. They were meant as a joke, right?"

"A joke?!"

Fay shook her head.

"Well, that was my guess. Still have plenty to learn, after all. If you had something really next level clever… then it was really next level clever, but it's still about five revisions from working at all. I did my best?"

Iago knew he should just send the imbecile away, until Garon approved a more permanent removal. This was just another foolish youth, like that mage one of Garon's mistresses squirted onto the floor, Leo or something. She would never understand what she was talking about, never understand the true level of Iago's genius…

But she would be suitably impressed, in time, and you had to appreciate the chance for a good brag when it came. Usually you only had a chance with your enemies, and their responses were just so rote! "What are you doing to my family?" "The dragon will repay you for your sins!" and even the incredible mediocrity of a soft, sobbed "Why?". This girl was old enough to realize how brilliant he was. Why not give her a chance to revel in secondhand glory?

"Oh, you simple girl. How could you hope to understand what a real tactician's work is like? King Garon needed me to deal with a rebellion, so a horde of faceless will…"

Fay looked at the board.

"That's the big monster guys, right?"

"Yes. Obviously. Now, they will…"

"Muscle bulk doesn't seem built for explosive action. I'm guessing… not the fastest, right? Poor intelligence… gotta say, they do _not_ seem like ideal counterinsurgency weapons. What's the real plan?"

"To send the faceless in to slaughter…"

Fay shook her head.

"See? We're off to a bad start already. This is a _rebellion._ Meaning your people. Meaning everything you destroy, you have to replace later. So. Minimum force! Just enough to get people back in line, without harming any loyal or loyalish subjects."

Iago smirked.

"It seems the king's whelps have made a habit of hiring people even more naive than they are. Examples must be made."

Fay smiled back. Somehow, it reminded Iago of Garon. Such an innocent rube should never have a smile that... _Nohrian_.

"Right. Which is why you should be so careful."

The girl swept her arm over the board knocking everything to the floor.

" _It's time for the strategies that make father cry at night._ "

She rolled a few pieces out of her sleeve, ones that Iago would have _sworn_ was on the floor a second ago.

"Right. First, we'll assume that we're dealing with people who have legitimate objections, and that there is _no way_ we're going to give them what they want. Because, well, that's the smart way to handle things, and since we're escalating, that means the smart way isn't so smart. Otherwise, we'd have just done it in the beginning. So, how do we play it?"

The villages were the only figures on the table.

"Well, first, we _should have_ set up an informant network earlier. Ideally, _we'd_ kick off the rebellions in any provinces already on the edge, so we could control the whole process."

"Starting a rebellion? My, my. Won't Garon be happy to hear his daughter is in the hands of a traitor?"

Fay rolled her eyes.

"Starting it so we can end it on our terms. Really, it's _basic_. Set up the rebellion, it can be as horrible as you like, so people will think better of _you_ in comparison! Then you run in, stop it with your unfair information advantage, and you buy more time to control the situation."

She plucked a figure off the table.

"But let's say you don't have spies because you're, um, kind of dumb. Or the guy before you was dumb. Either way, someone was dumb, and now you don't have everything you need. Battle's half lost before it starts."

A few wyvern riders joined the villagers on the table.

"Which means you need rapid, controllable force. You need to be overwhelming, but not brutal. Frankly, you have an empire, and they have a village. They have to know that you could wipe them all out. Force can remind them that there's worse than their current treatment, but if you press too hard, they'll be desperate."

Fay grimaced.

"Desperate people are stupid. Stupid people make mistakes you can't predict. Mistakes get people hurt in ways you can't ever really fix. People you can't get back. So, you don't let those mistakes happen. Instead, you use the minimum of force, kill the ringleaders, reward the loyal, and _then_ set up spies so this doesn't happen again. I have some basic notes written up here..."

The girl reached into her sleeves and pulled out a few papers.

"Tadah! You probably should study them. You know. So you're less incompetent in the whole horrifically evil thing. Really, if you can't be a good person, you can at least be good at being a bad person, right? And part of that is not wasting resources."

The papers spread over the map like tiny fortifications, walls to shield Nohr from the perceived idiocy of her defenders.

"I've been away from the new boss for way too long now, so, uh… learn! Be good! I'll be around if you need a refresher, and I know politics will probably get worse, but trust me. Elise is off the target board until further notice."

And Fay was gone.

Iago's teeth rubbed against each other. How could such an… he would never… look at this…

He picked up a paper from the table.

"Maniacal laughter: An advanced guide."

"Gloating best practices: How to make your lessers _really_ rue the day they dared to defy you!"

"So they escaped your deathtrap. How to pretend that was your plan all along!"

Well. It was obviously useless drivel. It had to be, from someone so soft and unaware of the ways of the world. And Iago would never credit her with any level of success, even if by some chance her writing was anything other than useless. Still. The girl's instructions might be… amusing.

Yes. Amusing. That was the word.

Iago picked up the papers. "An enthusiast's guide to villainy". Very well. If Fay could keep up this kind of drivel, it would be worth enduring a few more worthless giggles in the halls.

The girl and her charge would be gone soon enough. Until then, he could enjoy himself.

* * *

 **Five years later**

Beruka looked down from the ceiling. It was a shame wyverns were so difficult to maneuver indoors. If she could have her mount inside, there would be less strain on her arms. If there was less strain on her arms, it would be easier to deliver the killing blow when the time came.

"If" the time came. Camilla said if. Beruka knew better.

She was watching an attendant of one of Camilla's enemies. The woman would act against Camilla or one of her servants soon. And then Beruka would kill her.

The woman (Fay?) held a picture book in her hands. Princess Elise was reading from it. Slowly.

"And the big mean dragon roared and roared. But the princess still wasn't afraid!"

If it was Beruka's decision, the young woman and her charge would be dead already. The nurse too, in the corner. She would be a witness, and witnesses always made more trouble later. But no. Camilla was acting in that odd way other people sometimes did after a death, and seemed not to want to repeat it.

Something to do with killing a brother of hers. Beruka had no brother. She did not feel it much of a loss.

The people below were still chattering about nothing. Inefficient.

"Wow. You're getting to be a _really_ good reader, Elise."

"Uh-huh!"

"Suspiciously good. Are you getting lessons from someone else? Because if you did…"

Elise shook. Beruka seldom bothered with the fineries of social interaction, but fear? Fear she knew.

"No!"

"Oh, good. So, um… keep learning and being good. I have somewhere to go."

"Awww…"

"Yep! Sadly, not-your-aunt Fay can't just sit here forever. I'm being paid with big bags of gold to keep you safe, so… got to do the keeping you safe stuff. Not just the play substitute parent stuff, as much more fun as it it. So..."

Fay paused, and Beruka slid back. Fay was looking right where she was a second ago. More observant than most.

Dangerous woman. Camilla was right to distrust her. Wrong to force Beruka to wait to act.

Still. Fay smiled. Shook her head. And went out the door. Beruka followed in the shadows.

Fay whistled to herself as she walked. It made her easy to follow, even if Beruka hadn't known the routes. They were routes a royal wouldn't be expected to know. Places where you hid the bodies.

It was odd. As far as Beruka could trace, Fay came from the same streets she did. There was a trail, a very thorough trail. Fay had old friends. Fay had stories. Fay had all the details in place. But the details weren't in place when Beruka was first scrounging for contracts.

A few gold would buy a death in the undercities. A few more gold could make a life from the pieces. Basic tradecraft. And more proof, if any was needed, that 'Fay' was a threat. Any other client would have eliminated her already.

But Lady Camilla was the client. And Lady Camilla did not want Fay eliminated until more of her agenda was clear.

Beruka had only been working for Lady Camilla for a few short months, and she was already odd. It was something to investigate later. Odd usually meant trouble later. But Beruka's instincts…

Beruka shook her head. Loss of focus. Lethal in a crisis. Foolish outside of one. She followed Elise's retainer.

Anyone else would have been caught. The girl twitched every few steps, combat instinct disguised as childish fancy. A weapon trying to be a babysitter.

Beruka knew better. A weapon was a weapon, no matter how it tried to hide.

Fay reached her goal in an abandoned alleyway, closed off once for plague, and left closed for fear that the lower classes might make use of what they found to doubt their betters.

Beruka sat above. There was someone waiting already. A mercenary, judging from the silence. Someone comfortable with death.

The figure twitched, and Beruka could see her bright red hair. The mercenary. Camilla's most trusted retainer. Selena.

"Hmmph. Took you long enough."

"Sorry, sis. Had to shake a tail. Also read a story. Elise really hates it when I have to go."

Selena rolled her eyes.

"I had to get away from _Camilla_ , and I still got here first."

"Yeah, but with Elise it's cute. With Camilla, it's more a tragic reminder that almost everyone here is even more horrifically traumatized than us. Err… you."

Selena sighed.

"Yeah, I get it. Everywhere we go, people gets more psychotic. Right now, I can count the people I trust on one hand, and I _am_ counting Camilla. This is a mess. I shouldn't have let you come."

Fay shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure staying behind would mean letting mother and father kill me for letting you run away. This was just basic self preservation. By the way? That seems really unpopular around here."

"Tell me about it. I had to feed one of Camilla's cousins to the wyverns to hide the body. And it's only saying it to _you_ that I realize just how messed up that sounds. Gods."

"Uh, yeah. Sounds like… fun. You alright?"

"We're fine. It doesn't look like anyone else is going to make any moves for a while, after how the last attempted fratricide ended."

"We're? Wow. I didn't think you were going that quick. I mean, she's a princess, and you're an attractive and brilliant foreign mercenary, but…"

Selena glared. Fay's mouth snapped shut. It took a moment before it opened again.

"So, uh, how's Corrin doing?"

"Alive, despite the best efforts of everyone involved. It's like I'm the only demon spawn with any kind of self preservation instinct."

Selena paused, waiting for a response. After a few seconds, she raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you even going to _try_ to argue with me?"

"No, it's pretty much fair. Glad to see nothing's changed on that front, at least. Well, not glad about the tendency to do really stupid things, but the alive is nice. Since, you know…"

Selena rolled her eyes, like she'd heard the next line a thousand times.

"I know that our late, _not very lamented_ , employer just told us to keep one of the Nohrian royals safe, because any details would make our jobs too easy. And yes, fine! It's probably the kidnapped Hoshidan with the pointy ears! But in case you've forgotten what _your own face_ looks like, you should know it's not a guarantee."

"Fiiinnneee. But you know it's Corrin."

Severa shrugged. Someone better at reading emotions might have summed up the movement as "You're right, but I don't want to admit it, and we both know that's _your_ problem.", if they cared. Beruka was too busy processing the implications of everything else to bother.

One of Camilla's most trusted bodyguards was conspiring with Elise's first retainer.

Even if you ignored all the other subjects discussed, that would be cause for reasonable concern. Camilla had said Elise was not an issue. That Garon's youngest child would not be likely to attempt any harm to her position. But Beruka knew better. Obviously, Camilla had made the assumption based on Selena's judgement. Obviously, Selena was not to be trusted. But killing her would be difficult to justify to Camilla, even if Beruka could accomplish it.

That was also difficult. Selena slept lightly, rendering most conventional approached mixed in value at best. A failed poisoning early in her tenure left her cautious around food and drink, which ruled out most indirect approaches, and those that remained usually had excessive fatalities.

Beruka considered this acceptable, but Lady Camilla would not. It only left the direct approach.

Camilla told Beruka that, shortly before she was hired, Selena tore through a dozen of Nohr's finest knights just to gain the honor of speaking with the royal family, and slaughtered so many faceless to prove her worth that the slums were clean of bodies for a month just to supply replacement corpses.

The direct approach was not a good approach.

That was the problem with the information Selena had an ally working for Elise, and possibly others. The other news was worse. Selena claimed dragon blood, as did Fay. Blood they concealed.

Royal coups were started from less firm foundations. And they wanted the Hoshidan hostage for something? Political.

Beruka only saw political from the bottom levels, the pattern of bodies left in its wake. But she knew Camilla would be better off without political. She had to report this.

Below, Selena was looking away from her sister. Beruka resumed listening to the discussion. It would be difficult for it to be more damning, but Selena might try.

"I have to tell Camilla _something_."

"Like a cover story? Because…"

"Like the truth! She _trusts me_ , Morgan! Do you know who else she can count on?"

"Her…"

"No-one! Her second most reliable retainer is an assassin she _just hired after she tried to stab her in the neck_! Someone needs to watch out for her, and nobody else is going to try. You might not remember, but last time I was the only one looking after someone, you were _pretty thankful for..._ "

Fay (Morgan?) looked down.

"I _don't_ remember."

"Oh. Gods. Right. I'm…"

"No, you're sort of right here. Probably not good to breach trust like that. I'm just lucky Elise is too young to ask too many questions. Um, tell her as much of the truth as you feel like you can safely get away with. And... I'll make sure she's safe too. Heh. We are juggling a _lot_ of things right now, eh?"

"Gods. Don't remind me. I'm starting to miss when the only thing I had to worry about was being torn apart by Risen."

"And, you know…"

"I didn't then!"

Fay shrugged.

"Everythings complicated once you know enough. It's just we didn't. Someone else had to handle it. Now everyone's counting on us, so we have to be perfect, brilliant, and generally us, so other people can just worry about what's in front of them."

"Perfect?"

"Uh, yeah. Mother's not here, so _someone_ has to set the standard. It's not like there's anyone better than us, so… winners by default!"

"Heh. You know how to drain all the compliment out of a compliment, don't you? Don't get killed. I'd miss it."

"Will do. Err… _won't_ do. You know what I mean."

Fay left the room. Beruka considered following her. She did not.

Fay was a known quality. If Beruka failed, Camilla would know to dispatch another assassin. Beruka's death would change nothing.

If Selena was left alone, she would be able to maintain her secrets indefinitely. Beruka was unusually effective, and she only found the truth by chance. It was unlikely another would repeat her success.

Lady Camilla gave Selena her trust. Selena had failed her. Lady Camilla gave Beruka her trust. Beruka could not afford to fail her.

She would monitor until she had enough evidence. Then she would report the truth. It would be simple.

It would have been simple. If there was not a tile loose.

Beruka looked down as it fell. She knew it would end sooner or later. She would make a mistake, and then she would be killed. She had killed others. It seemed reasonable.

Selena heard the tile clatter to the floor. Looked up. Beruka considered her attacks in that half second.

She would have one. After that, she would be unbalanced and vulnerable. If Selena was still capable of movement, she would have victory.

She did not feel confident in the first strike. She did not feel confident in any strike. There was a chance she would win. There was a chance she would die. Neither was a chance worthy of attention.

Selena tilted her head.

"Like I needed an audience. Fine. Get down."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like an idiot yelling at the ceiling. Look, I know Camilla sent you. And I knew she'd ask where I was going _some_ day, so I might as well explain my side of the story now, so she doesn't feel like I betrayed her more than I did."

"Oh."

"And you can keep the axe, if you're that worried."

"I am not worried."

She was merely cautious. Worried was an emotion. Cautious was a behavioral approach. One suited her far better than the other.

"Yeah, the axe really sells it. Let me guess. You heard everything."

"Yes."

"Just my luck. Ugh. Look, I already told Camilla I was going away some day. And that there was a lot about my past I couldn't tell her about. This is just… more of that."

"Like dragon's blood."

"And a sister, and knowing a few other people, and the fact I've been trying and mostly failing to keep everyone in her family from murdering each other since I got to Nohr. It's not easy to fit that in a casual conversation! 'Hey, my father's a dragon, my mother's perfect, my sister's insane, and it turns out you're not who I was hired to protect, but don't worry, as long as you don't kill Corrin I'll try to keep you safe too' isn't exactly going to fit with talk about how to dispose of a body!"

"Dragon's blood."

"You mentioned that! Ugh. Not exactly Ms. Personality, are you?"

"No. The body. Dragon's blood, dissolve it quickly. I have some. Reliable"

"Oh."

Beruka looked away.

"You have also been reliable. Lady Camilla trusts you. Prove her right."

She still did not trust Fay. But she could trust Selena. In spite of everything, she could try to trust Selena.

If she was wrong, there was always dragon's blood.

* * *

 **Ten years later**

"Mate in five."

Fay was smiling. Leo couldn't even be bothered at this point. He wished he'd never learned this game in the first place. At first, it was an opportunity, practical considerations of the battlefield without having to bother with anything ...difficult to replace.

But soon, far too soon, it was a chore. He surpassed his teacher, and no-one else even came close. Iago, Xander, Odin, they didn't even qualify as distractions at this point. And now he was fighting a child's babysitter in the vain hopes that there was someone who could make the game interesting again.

A babysitter who didn't even have a response to the fact she was losing, judging by her smile.

"Five, right? Going to remember that one. Five turns. Hey, that's one for each of you. Nice! You, three sisters, and Xander. All royal and ready for action."

Fay moved her dragon out of the valley.

"Which might be four now. Less of a good match. I'm guessing you think five's a lot more stable than the last times you had to make a… cut. I've always thought five is just about right for a family. Buuutttt… that might be personal bias. Anyway. You like your family as it is, right."

"Perhaps."

Leo looked at the board. Everything seemed ready for an offensive. Everything seemed prepared to destroy the young woman's armies, to sweep the board clean, even at a cost.

But…

But only a fool took victory for granted. Leo moved his mages back.

"I apologize for my error. Five turns now, I believe."

"Maybe. Of course…"

Fay was still smiling.

"We _are_ alone."

Oh, gods, no. He had enough of _that_ already. Nohr's minor nobility seemed to have settled on their target, and he didn't need Nohr's teeming lower classes to decide his generosity meant he was willing to elevate them as well. Nothing against them, but he spent _enough_ time fending off advances already.

"I'm…"

"Oh. Err… not that. Definitely nothing that bad."

Thank the dragon.

"I was just about to suggest a little high treason."

"What did you say?"

"Oh, you're right. It's more like a lot of high treason. Maybe all of it. Hooboy, we would be committing all the treason. I think we're already knee deep in treason. You're knee deep, I mean. Some serious treason, but nothing you can't clean up later. I'm more swimming in it."

"You are seriously suggesting that I risk my father's disfavor to remove…"

Fay shook her head.

"Not disfavor. That implies he's… okay, I'll skip ahead. We're going to remove him from the throne, or maybe kill him. A lot's up in the air right now."

"You're going to try to kill King Garon."

Leo was disturbed at the suggestions of treason. Disturbed enough this was a relief. It was going from someone pulling out a knife to promising you that it would allow them to devour the sun. Or, put another way, it was going from a threat from Niles to a threat from Odin.

Leo smiled.

"I suppose now, you're going to explain how you intend to produce an army, arm them with weapons fit to kill a chosen of the dragon, and deliver it all without being detected."

He looked down at the board.

"Perhaps the same way you intend to prevent your army's destruction in this game."

He moved a formation of archers to tear into her vulnerable wyverns.

"Four now, I think."

Fay shook her head.

"Different strategies, my dear Leo. The board has far more soldiers than I'd ever trust with a conspiracy. I'm feeling this is well into chancy territory with just the six of us."

"Six. You're intending… six. Against King Garon."

"Well, you can leave it at five if you want. But I'll have to stuff you into a broom closet or something until we're done. Which won't be any more fun for you than it is for us."

"Have you… met King Garon?"

Fay frowned.

"You're right. I haven't got everything mapped out perfectly quite yet. We _might_ have to do it with four. Could you not leave it at that? I'd really appreciate it if you could chip in."

"On your collective suicide attempt."

Fay nodded.

"If you want to think of it that way, sure? I mean, I've done things that _probably_ would lead to even more of a disaster, but this one is definitely collective."

She paused.

"THIS might be collective suicide, though."

Her pegasi charged into Leo's archers. The die clattered across the table, ripping into their ranks. Fay winced as they fell.

"Three?"

"Three. I can't believe I'm asking about this, but… who was insane enough to agree with your plan? If that wouldn't force you to kill me, of course."

Leo slid his paladins in for a coup d'grace.

Fay waved her hand up and down for a moment.

"Wellll… okay. Since you're probably ending the game in two turns, why not? You, me, Laslow, Selena, and Odin. Maybe probably Camilla, if Selena's managed to get things to go through as well as she probably can."

"Odin. You're… oh, gods. He _would_ try."

Fay nodded.

"He's done stupider."

She paused.

"Oh, and, this is my last move, right? I mean, by both of our estimates. Game's pretty much ending with your next call."

"I think so."

Fay's smile started to show traces of fangs. Her sorcerers moved out of cover. Then she slowly reached for a panel on the board where she'd managed to down a few mercenaries before. A monster spawned in place of the corpses.

Then another.

Then another.

Leo's generals were cut off. His lord was about to be devoured. Everything he had won, every inch earned in blood, was now a debt.

He had to admit, it was a clever play.

Fay looked down at the board.

"I _think_ we agreed this was the last turn?"

"It appears it is. I don't seem to have many moves open."

"Weird. It's almost like you're up against a master strategist who's exceptionally good at either playing dumb or turning her mistakes into later success."

"One willing to take insane, and even suicidal plans to their brutal conclusion when they come to her attention."

Fay sadly picked up the pieces for a few of her fallen knights.

"If she has to. Really, haven't had to in a really long time. Congratulations?"

Leo tipped his lord.

"I think the loser is intended to offer the gesture first. Not that I've learned firsthand, not with every opponent I've had storming off rather than admit defeat, but the etiquette books seem to think it's the preferred method."

"Oh, no. I wasn't offering them. I was begging for them. I'm pretty shameless in my bids for attention. You can ask anyone."

"Well. Congratulations. I misjudged you, and my troops paid the price. And the talk of treason was an excellent distraction."

"And a good sales pitch?"

"What?"

Fay's head bobbled enthusiastically.

"Kind of want you on board! Look, we need as much legitimacy as we can get to disable and/or kill which hopefully we won't have to and we'll have to less with more help from people like you, your evil and obviously crazy father."

"And how do you expect to defeat him?"

"Tactics."

Fay swept her hand over the board.

"They've been good enough so far."

"The best strategy in the world can't save an army without soldiers capable of..."

A sword flicked out from under Fay's sleeve. At first, it seemed a holy weapon, a lost treasure of Nohr. The blade glowed with blue flame, tempered in blood but unscarred by war. Then Leo looked closer.

The glow came from the woman's hand. Magic pulsed through her body in time to hymns to an unseen god, the screaming wrath of a creature that should have been long dead. Leo had doubted the gods, doubted the old legends, but now they were here in the flesh, crying for blood.

"I think we might be able to work something out. As I said, it would help a lot if we could make sure this looks like legitimate succession. So. Are you in?"

Leo opened his mouth. Closed it.

The dragons only knew how any of this came about. Why monsters in human flesh arrived out of thin air to rip into Nohr after serving it for so long. But now he stood in a blind corner, all his learning useless. Now, there was nothing but a choice. Between his father and a madwoman. Between…

Between two forms of madness.

Leo sighed.

One of the two was staring him in the face.

"I'll see what I can do."

Fay smiled.

"I wouldn't ask for anything more!"

Somehow, Leo knew she was lying.

* * *

 **(Author's notes: And here we go. The conclusion to another chapter. Sorry it took so long. Sorrier still for the next bit.**

 **This is probably it. Like, I may reopen this someday, if I come up with an absolutely perfect idea that pretty much writes itself, but for now, I'm done. Worn out. It's...**

 **Gah. Okay, backing up for a second. Just as a personal thing, one of the _worst_ things a fanfiction can do, in my book, is think of itself as 'better' than the source material. Not that the source is perfect, not that you're not going to try to address what you don't like (even if it's just a certain character probably having some fun off screen adventures that you want to write up), hell, not even that it's impossible for some rare chance to line up producing something that, on some level, is genuinely better than what inspired it. But generally, fanfiction should start from a place of "I like this thing. Here is a response generated from that fondness." **

**And, writing for Awakening, that came easily. I really liked Fire Emblem Awakening. And writing about it even lead me to like it more. Believe it or not, first runthrough, I _actively loathed_ Severa. Funny how these things work out.**

 **I didn't have quite the same affection for Fates at first, but I figured it was just a slight adjustment period. But then I kept playing. Reading about it. Trying to write. Fates...**

 **didn't follow the same arc as Awakening, for me. Every time I poked, I liked it less. Every time I came up with an idea I thought I could do something really fun with, the game had details that undermined it, sometimes even contradicting itself in the process. And every time, I got more tired of the whole process, and every time I tried to find some detail in Fates I liked enough to expand, it fell apart.**

 **I'm blathering. What it adds up to is, the writing came slower and less... reliably of any kind of quality. You all deserve better. So, yeah. Wrapup.**

 **Not even sure how good this one is, but I figured I owed something of a finale for all your patience. Because you've been a great audience, even when I've been a lousy performer, and because I felt like just putting up a chapter saying "Hey, done!" and nothing else would be a poor way to repay everything I've gotten.**

 **Don't know if I'm going to start anything else, who knows what the future holds, but for the moment, this is farewell.**

 **Or at least, until we meet again.**

 **Thanks for everything.)**


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